Badoo: Finally, A Female-Centric Dating App? *Sp

October 30, 2017

It’s been a hot minute since we last chatted dating apps, am I right? Today we’re going to be looking at the dating app, Badoo. There are legions of dating apps out there at the moment, and dating apps aren’t always that safe for women. It’s hard enough out here for a girl without having to worry if who you’ve been chatting to most recently even exists, am I right? We’ve all been there; that one match who seems too good to be true and the existential pain of wondering if you’ve been catfished and subsequently ghosted. Online dating can be a tricky world to navigate for us girls – so let’s look at one that’s leading the way in terms of female safety.

Dating Apps And Women

I think most women will be aware that dating apps are not always the safest place. With the rise of dating apps has come the rise of some bizarre dating situations. Does the person you’re talking to really look like that? Is what they’re saying entirely truthful? How can you be sure you’re meeting up with a normal sane person and not a compulsive liar? Unsolicited dick pics, endless male harassment and the potential for complete strangers to hide behind an invented profile are just some of the problems that have become commonplace in the online dating world. The headfuckery involved in those situations is almost always an unwanted cause of stress and can leave some people feeling paranoid and jaded about the whole system of online dating. Luckily for us girls, most companies have caught on to some of the issues that have arisen, and now there’s a dating app on the scene that’s trying to counteract some of the danger and make a safe environment to meet new people.

Badoo is a dating app that was founded in 2006 by Andrey Andreev, and is today the largest dating app in the world. Following the app’s relaunch in April of this year, a whole host of new features have been introduced, and it is those features that help make the app stand out from the competitors when it comes to female safety online. It took me just a few clicks to get going on the app – uniquely, you can sign up to look for dating, relationships, or just friends and new people to chat with. If you prefer to get quite detailed, then you can add a lot of information, but equally if you’re more “click and go” like me then it’s straightforward to make a basic account and get meeting people.

Why Badoo?

Let’s chat about those features. The ease of joining up does come up with some security checks – including a unique selfie system which involves sending a photo of yourself in a specific pose to prove it’s you. My main thought when joining up was “Great, everyone’s had to go through this”. It was a relief to realise that everybody on the profile would be have been subjected to these same safety checks, eradicating the risk of fake profiles and bots. The process is quick and easy to complete, but clearly very effective as there’s no way you’d be able to fake the posed selfie. It means you can instantly rest easy knowing that everybody is who they say they are.

I also had to verify my phone number via a phone call which helps make the Badoo experience feel more secure. You can also verify who you’re talking to. Matched with somebody who looks a bit too much like James Franco to be true? You can “request a selfie” from the person you’re chatting to – they can’t respond until they’ve sent one. Catfish, begone! It’s a feature that adds another level of security – yes, you know that you’ve all gone through the same verification when signing up, but if you’re feeling a little bit suspicious it takes literally 2 seconds to just request another selfie mid-chat. Just to be sure. The other person is then required to send a selfie back – and as it’s in-app, the photo can’t be one they’ve already procured. Clever, right? After all, there’s no such thing as being too safe, is there?

You can verify your social media accounts if you like to incorporate those into your online dating – a lifesaver for fishing out any fake accounts or strangers masking as other people, if you should get to the point where you want to take things to the next level and chat to somebody off the app. Equally, leave them unverified if you prefer a level of anonymity. As long as your photo and phone have been verified, it’s up to you how much of your online profile you incorporate. When actually using the app, it’s literally given on people’s profiles who is and isn’t verified – so you can automatically see any potential shady characters and avoid if you feel even the slightest twinge of doubt.

Overall

After using Badoo for a few days, I really felt secure and happy with the systems in place to help women feel safe whilst using the app. Being able to verify in-app, mid-conversation is a game changer, and the simple yet effective verification system used when signing up initially means that overall you feel like you’re in control of your own safety not just when joining up but throughout the whole experience. Sure, there might still be a few pushy men or dickhead characters out in the online world, but being able to secure who you’re talking to and instantly their credentials is definitely a step to a safe dating world for men and women alike. Overall, Badoo is easy to use and feels fun to engage with. Coupled with the unique security features and verification system, it could be just the ticket if you’re looking for a new dating app.

Please note this post was sponsored by Badoo. All text and images my own. Ryan’s still on the scene!

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3 Comments

I know I missed some posts, while I was researching abroad… so I guess you are on the dating arena, now, ans it’s really good to tell others about Badoo. A friend of mine uses it and she said it’s nice. It’s so important to take care, another friend meets so many freaks on her online dating attempts! Hope you have a nice week!
DenisesPlanet.com

That sounds like a lot of good ideas. I don’t think it’s in Australia yet cause this is the first I’m hearing of it! Although I’ve sworn off online dating cause the messaging part (shady profile or not) stresses me out.

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